[NAIRB]

I know this is the car electrical section but I'm posting this question here and in the Garage forum to see if anyone knows what happed to the juice in my garage.

My old service station that I own has 100 amp service. It has a fused main disconnect box that feeds the breaker panel. I just put a new hot tank in today, and I had the electrician wire up a 50 amp breaker, and run conduit to the far side of the shop. We fired up the hot tank without incident. I let it run for about 2 hours, and when I returned to the shop to do some port work on a set of heads, I kicked on my compressor. I also had my salamander running, a small space heater (electric) in the office, the radio and all the lights.

Anyway, my compressor quit running and the lights started flickering. I went to kick the breaker back on for the compressor, but when I did, all of the lights went out. My lights were kind of "strobing" , so I shut all of the power down and went home. Bummer.

I called the electrician and he said I probably blew a fuse in my 100 disconnect box and that the lights, etc were feeding back through the compressor.

Who knows what happened.

Lucciano?

 

[pmeisel]

Sounds like an experience from my previous life. Used to own an old house that had been "modernized" in 1960 ! with 100 amp service. If the air conditioner, 3 TV's and a couple power tools ran we's start to blow things... the dishwasher and space heater would really do it.

Not sure what happened exactly but you sure are running too much at once for 100 amp service, I think.....

 

[johnnymopar]

i kind of think that maybe you're overloading just one side of your service. 100amps is a lot, i know you're running a few things but maybe you should see just how your power is distributed and see if you can balance it out more evenly.

JB

 

[NAIRB]

Actually, I only had 60 amp service, so I had the city run a new meter and 200 amp servicei into the shop. There is 3 phase pretty close to the place, but all of my equipment I have now is single phase. My hot tank alone pulls 42 ampere draw, and the compressor initially pulls 85 amps when the motor starts, then settles back down to 15 amps. I think the compressor firing up popped one of the main fuses right off the bat. So until I have the larger service connected, I'll have to run the hot tank at night and cut it back during the daylight hours.

Brian

 

[johnnymopar]

Actually, I only had 60 amp service, so I had the city run a new meter and 200 amp servicei into the shop.

so you have 200A going to the meter and still only 60A going to your panel? if so you should upgrade with new wire if it isn't too far to go and if you can afford it.

JB